The House of Representatives Committee on Health has charged the management of the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Katsina, to improve the hospital’s internally generated revenue (IGR).
The lawmakers were led by Hon Gomna Magaji, the member representing Zango Kataf/Jaba federal constituency to Katsina State for its oversight function.
He congratulated the hospital on its elevation from Federal Medical Centre to a teaching hospital, hoping it would not just change its nomenclature but also transform to fulfil its core mandates of training, research, and providing services to the people of Katsina.
The committee’s mission was to examine how the hospital operates and point out areas that need to be straightened to help deliver healthcare in the state effectively.
“One of the visions of the 10th assembly is to reduce medical tourism to ensure that we reposition Nigeria’s healthcare sector, to make healthcare services affordable and accessible, especially in tertiary healthcare in Nigeria.
In doing that, there are things we will address immediately, and there are things we will address later.
“It is quite unfortunate that the government will spend a large amount on personnel costs of N14 billion, and you probably have a capital project of N2 billion. If the government is spending N14 billion, we should be able to see maybe N20 billion for capital projects”, he said.
The committee chairman also called on the hospital management to always consult the character commission in their employment and appointments.
Earlier, the teaching hospital’s chief medical director (CMD), Dr Suleiman Bello, said the hospital has carried out several capital projects in the last five years, adding that they have modern equipment and will train consultants and specialists for quality healthcare delivery.
